So I just started smoking and I want to learn how to make good ribs every time. First, I started the wrapping technique but it didn't give me the crust I wanted on ribs. Then I started using the no wrap method – I got the crust I wanted, but it is coming out dry. I have a Pit Boss Savannah Onyx Edition and I smoke for 5 hours at 225 all the way, spritzing with water every hour. I also cook with baby back ribs instead of spare ribs.
I need help understanding what I'm doing wrong. Cooking unwrapped gives nice crust/color I want and great softness, but dry ASF. Tips??
by Intelligent-Sky-5535
50 Comments
Could try no wrap at slightly higher temp for the first 3 hours then finish off with a loose wrap (lots of tenting so you don’t steam the bark as much) and a bit of butter and/or spritz.
Cook them hotter, like 250-275. Maybe try wrapping when you like the way the bark looks. Rest them for an hour or so before you slice into them.
Honestly I find ribs to be the hardest thing to get right.
The trickiest thing about ribs is: there’s no good place to stick a temp probe, so for the most part, you have to determine doneness by feel. At 225f, I would probably go a little longer, maybe 7 hours, hard to say for sure. I might also keep a water pan under the ribs for most of the cook time (I like to keep an electric kettle on hand so I can quickly refill the pan if it dries out).
Do you mind sharing your process to get them on the smoker?
I’ve done all the ribs all the ways, right now I’m using a RecTec 700.
I remove membrane and light coating of yellow mustard. I then season, that depends on the mood, spg, a meat church rub, homemade, etc.
Once seasoned and ready for the smoker they are on the counter to sweat a bit.
I go 225⁰ with a smoke tube, one it’s at temp they are on.
Get a nice color and bark, usually 2/3 hours, then I wrap in pink paper. I cut pads of butter lay down and add brown sugar, do that on the top and wrap tight, back on for an hour or so.
Once they are passing the bend test, I remove from wrap and go about 30 or so to set up. If I’m saucing I’ll have that added at this point.
Never had an issue with bite, moisture or appearance with that method.
When I do no wrap, I go 4/6 hours and have varying results.
If they are dry you are over cooking them.
Spritzing ribs is unnecessary.
i never wrap mid cook. I stand by, wrapping is for resting and i get great results.
I use a mustard binder and dry rub. I smoke them at 225/250. They are done when the meat pulls back on the bone by 1/4 to 1/2 inch and the rack passes a bend test. Now i sauce them and wrap them in tinfoil and rest them in the oven for 30min at 150f.
I average 3.5 to 5.5 hrs. Smoke time
3 2 1 method has some good attributes even if the timing doesn’t always fit every rack. Smoke them unwrapped unti you have a deep bark. Wrap them with a few pats of butter, then some rub, then some honey. Place the ribs meat down bone up on top of the butter and seasoning. Wrap them tightly and place back on the smoker meat side down until they are limp when you pick them up. Then, unwrap them and place them on the smoker meat side up. Top with a little more rub and save the foil liquid. Smoke about another hour to dry the ribs. Take them off the smoker, place them back in the foil, and lightly wrap so they can rest and come down in temp. After about 10-20 minutes, take them out and slice them. Pour o er the foil packet es if you like.
I just went no wrap for the first time yesterday, and I’ll never wrap again. Best ribs ever.
Smoked with apple wood. Spritzed every 30 minutes for the first 3 hours. Realized I was out of tinfoil. Brushed on lard every 30 minutes. At about 5 hours, I added bbq sauce. 30 minutes later, another thin coat. Pulled and rested at 6 hrs.
Great bite off the bone ribs. I’m on a Kettle cooking at 225.
I go 4 hours uncovered/unwrapped at 250, no spritzing no nothing, I have tried all the possible ways of doing ribs, this method that ironically takes the least effort yields the best ribs everytime lol, dont overthink it.
My recommendation: don’t do anything. Don’t spritz, don’t wrap. Just put them on the grill, and take them off when they look done.
If the surface looks dry, use an oil spray, preferably olive oil.
Different types of ribs require different cook temps.
For small baby back ribs I smoke at 225-250 for three hours straight. The temp range is based on weather. Very different smoking when it’s 50-60 outside versus 80-90 outside. I use dry rub then sauce them 30 minutes prior to finishing. That’s it. Keep in mind this is for baby back ribs which are normally thin with not much fat.
For St. Louis ribs I do the same but smoke for about 4-5 hours depending on cut (and how much fat I leave on). Same ordeal as above. Just monitor your thermometer
Also, wrapping is fine if you want moist fall off the bone ribs. Some people prefer it this way. I have family who prefer it this way. It’s all personal preference. You just need to wrap for one hour in foil. Add in butter and brown sugar. Ribs will come out steaming.
I usually get safeway ribs when they’re on sale. I think they are pork loin back ribs, extra meaty.
I leave the membrane on the bottom. Put the rub on. 2 hours at 225. Foil about 2 inches on each end of the rack and turn it up to 275 for 1h40min. Take the foil off turn back down to 225, add a layer of sauce and then another layer every 15 min until the rack is super flexible – about 45 minutes. It can vary some at this point as some racks cook a but faster or slower.
Tons of flavor, super juicy and tender. And that membrane got crispy during the 275 phase, one of my favorite parts.
The way I do them and they are delicious everytime:
3h smoking at 180°F.
Spritzed every 30 minutes with an apple juice, water and (optional) apple cider mix.
2h cooking at 250°F.
Tightly wrapped in aluminium paper with melted butter, cassonade and apple juice mixed up. I put them upside down. Make sure you dont have any leaks in your aluminium paper. (Double wrap it juste in case)
About 15-30 mins (MAX) at about 260-275°F with your favorite BBQ sauce. This part is to heat the sauce and have a nice glazing.
That’s it!
When learning to do ribs I stand by the 321 method. It’s the most reliable way for beginners.
Remove the silverskin.
Slather a binder all over. I add a little Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar to some mustard.
Add your rub. Your preference but lots of pepper helps build smoke due to the increased surface area.
3 hours(ish) at 180 meat side up to build up smokey flavor. Internal temp should reach 160.
Then 2 hours at 225 wrapped in foil or unwaxed butcher paper meat side down so it’s in the juices. You add some juice, brown sugar, maple syrup whatever you want to the wrapped ribs to increase the moisture and add some fat/sweetness. Internal temp should be 205. Aluminum foil is much harder to screw up, but it will break down some of the smoke that you’ve built up so I personally prefer unwaxed butcher paper because it is permeable so your meat might dry out if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Remove from the wrap. Add a thin layer of BBQ sauce. Put it back in at 225, uncovered, meat side up until your sauce has cooked and caramelized. It should take about 30 minutes, but might take up to an hour.
This is imo by far the most reliable way to do ribs as a beginner. Once you’ve figured this out you can start to deviate and change stuff up to your liking.
Not a fan of 3-2-1 or wrapping in general. Also not a fan of temp for doneness on ribs, since there’s so little meat on them.
I make primarily baby backs, bc that’s what my wife likes. Here’s what I do:
Dry rub overnight (pick your rub, but I like one that’s roughly even course salt-coarse black pepper – brown sugar, I add other stuff too, but this is the base).
Pit to 275-325F over apple & pecan (I like that combo for pork), racks cut in half and on for 4-5.5 hrs. I maintain pit temp, but don’t check meat temp. I LOOK FOR SHINERS (the bones starting to stick out). When I see shiners, I start testing for doneness – if I twist gently, does the bone give? Once that’s yes, I hit ’em with some sauce and leave them on for another 30-60 mins, until multiple bones come loose with a gentle twist.
At that point your ribs are done. Pull them, slice them (they’ll be very tender so use a *sharp* knife), and serve. You’ll have tender ribs with a nice sticky sauce and a nice bark under it.
I smoke mine unwrapped until the meat pulls from the bones and poke out of the rack (2-3 hours). Then I foil wrap in sauce or butter & brown sugar for another hour meat side down. I finish them uncovered with sauce or more brown sugar and the melted butter for 10 minutes to tack up. I usually am sitting between 250°-275°.
Anyways, this seems to work for me with indirect heat on a Weber kettle
Smoke at 275. Wrap when the rub won’t wipe off. Pull off at 205. If you’re not getting the bark, keep unwrapped. I added a water pan and it helped me tremendously.
My problem is a weak bark, but I dont think that’s a big problem.
I’ve been going off of the 3-2-1 method, though I’ve found that over cooks them a bit. Honestly I’m still kind of winging it and don’t have set cook times, but I’m more 2.5-1.5-1.0 I guess.
I do put a water pan in my smoker, I don’t spritz
I typically do 230 then for the final hour I open up the intake ports and kick it up to like 300
I do a 2-1.5-1 at 250. First 2hrs I spray with apple juice every 45mins or so. When I wrap I do bone side up* on top of brown sugar and apple juice. Last hour unwrapped and sauced. Also keep a water pan in the bottom. Comes out great everytime.
Dyna Glo upright offset
Baby backs are leaner than spare ribs. Bump your temp up to 275. I go 275 unwrapped for usually about 3 to 4 hours, until the bark is where I want it. Then wrap for about an hour until they’re tender, then unwrap and sauce for a half hour and they’re perfect every time.
I use an Oklahoma Joe bronco and I rock 250 all the way through until they’re almost breaking in half from the bend test. Never longer than 5 hours and almost always less. Clean tender bite every time.
I wrap mine at like 160-170 with a coat of agave nectar then when they hit 200+ I sauce them and depending ont he weather, I grill or broil to char and carmalize the sauce. I always buy from
the same butcher for consistency, fresh and never frozen. Always come out killer.
I do keep water in the smoker and spray with ACV every 45 minutes to hour.
You can follow a similar 3-2-1 rule like you do with brisket. 3 hours unwrapped, 2 hours wrapped, 1 hour unwrapped. You can change the timing to fit specifically for your ribs. Or smoke unwrapped till it reaches like 150-165 degrees then wrap in butcher paper for about an hour before done. Creates good bark and retains moisture.
I never spritz, but sometimes when I want to feel fancy I will baste them in melted Irish butter every 45 minutes
I just smoke mine at 300 for 2 and a half hours. I usually like them dry but if I’m feeling fancy I’ll sauce them and cook them an extra 10 minutes. Easy and effective
Did a 411 instead of 321 at 325 and happier with results.
Nothing but dry rub and a binder (if necessary) to start. Hour and a half at 225ish. Don’t mess with anything or open the smoker. After 1:30, spray with apple juice and up temp to 250°. Spray every half hour until the 3 hour mark. Lay out foil with a little brown sugar, a drizzle of molasses, a drizzle of honey a few pats of butter and a tiny sprinkle of the dry rub. Place ribs meat side down on this prepared foil. Sprinkle a little apple cider vinegar on the bone side. Wrap tightly. 265-275° for 1.5-2 hours, meat side down. Unwrap. Sprinkle a little of the juice (sparingly) on the meat and then baste with BBQ sauce. 275° open for the last hour basting with BBQ at the halfway mark, meat side up.
If non wrap is dry then add a water pan to add some moisture.
I typically do 2-2-1 method. 2 hours on smoke setting, 2 hours wrapped in foil at 250, one hour at 250 unwrapped basting every 20 minutes with BBQ sauce or the flavour I want to end up with
I go 225 unwrapped. Don’t even open the smoker for about 2 hours and after that start spritzing every hour with whatever. I usually do apple juice mixed with apple cider vinegar and maraschino cherry juice. Usually they’ll go about 5 to 5.5 hours, once they pass the bend test they can be pulled. If I feel like it, I’ll wrap them in foil with some pats of butter, hot honey drizzle and a little apple juice for another 15-20 minutes. Great results either way.
I cook mine between 250 to 275 for the entire cook. Once done, wrap them. This will allow the bark to set but soften it up to not be dry and crusty
Cook at 275 or more.
In my experience it only takes me 3 hours to cook ribs at 250. I assume you’re probing the ribs as you go, if you are what are they generally reading at when you pull them? I personally don’t spray ribs, and I also use a water pan to help keep the ribs juicy. Also, I’m team no wrap until I’m wrapping to let rest and when I do wrap I wrap in butcher paper. It helps set the bark. The great thing about bbq is experimenting with what works best for you. Another trick I do is before adding my seasoning. I hit it with mesh black pepper. It helps capture more smoke flavor and helps set the bark.
So my recommendation is I do the 3-2-1 method. Smoke them for three hours wrap them for two hours and smother them with barbecue sauce and finish them off for another hour. Sometimes I like to throw them on the grill for about four minutes per side as well to let that barbecue sauce tack up.
A lot…….
For baby backs, try 300F for three hours. Pick ‘em up with tongs and see how well the rack bends. Keep cooking until you reach the bend you like, checking frequently.
Then sauce em and leave in for another 5ish minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit.
Did you cut them in half?
That’s part of your problem.
That will make them dry out more than a whole rack.
Don’t cut them.
250 and let it roll. No wrap. No spritz. Run til bend test is good and meat is pulling back on bone. Normally I’ll cook them in 4-5.5hrs this way, depending on size of the rack of ribs is you’re making
Next time try doing only two racks, on the second rack in the smoker. Place a large pan on the bottom rack under your ribs and smoke using the unwrapped method.
What’s your goal? Fall off bone with crust? 3-2-1. Bite, no foil but use water pan. Foil for fall off Bone
Skip the spritzing. It’s a fool’s errand.
Use St Louis cut spare ribs, they’re juicier.
If you buy baby backs, look for the smaller racks, closer to 2 1/2 lbs. Professors will leave more loin meat on the ribs, bc it sells at a higher price. But that’s the part that dries out.
Also, they’re done when they’re done. Not at a certain time
If you’re going no wrap 250-275 is more in line. If you’re going slower, probably want to wrap. I always liked my ribs better wrapped with butcher paper over foil to let it breath more. It’s what I use with my pellet. I don’t spritz, it’s just a way to reduce temp and get more smoke, it feels like more work than it’s worth for me.
Try wrapping in butcher paper. Best of both worlds
I never have any problem with the 3-2-1 using the pink butcher paper for the 2 hours in the middle. They always come out super tender, but still with some snap, and a nice bark from the last hour uncovered
Dry = overcooking
Comments are making it complicated.
Trim ribs, put rub on ribs, smoke at 235 until ribs are 200-203F, rest for 10-15 min. Optional: sauce and char over charcoal to get it right. Too easy.
I have learned that I wasn’t wrapping tight enough. If you can smell the ribs cooking while wrapped, you’re gonna have a bad time.
3-4 hours unwrapped at 250. Turns out perfect.
Spritzing isn’t worth the heat loss and time added
I went from 3-2-1 to 3, 1.5 and then 20-25min high to bake on sauce the tint foil while waiting to serve to keep moisture.
Make sure them baby backs aren’t them loin back baby backs. Took me getting those a few times to realize what was going on. Leaner meat from the loin area. Not the same as true baby back ribs. Every time I got one of those racks it came out dry.
Just did a couple racks this weekend. I do 3-1-1 and they turned out great
https://preview.redd.it/bq24gm856o1f1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e9c1b7c9a3e0c9cb96191d75c5253ab99e9805e